11.   Nebiolo and Luciano Barra, the powerful secretary of the Italian athletics federation, resigned.

12.   No one was immediately available for comment at the athletics federation.

13.   Solange Witteveen of Argentina tested positive for an amphetamine at the South American championships in May, the IAAF world athletics federation said Wednesday.

14.   The Italian athletics federation cleared the athlete on grounds that she took the drug by mistake.

15.   The International Olympic Committee is ready to help national athletics federations pay for random drug testing, IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch said Saturday.

16.   The Italian athletics federation suspended a second athlete Friday for testing positive for drugs.

17.   The proposal to soften the doping ban has been submitted by European athletics federations and backed by the powerful IAAF Council, headed by president Primo Nebiolo.

18.   The world athletics federation said it was only doing so to protect the defending and Olympic champion from Ethiopia.

19.   Two female athletes competing at the World Championships tested positive for steroids and face two-year suspensions, the IAAF world athletics federation said Friday.

20.   Yegorova was briefly suspended, but the IAAF world athletics federation ruled the test invalid because it also failed to check her blood, as required under IAAF rules.